


Flying Colors

by isleofbirb, orphan_account



Series: The Avengers are gay, get over it (Pride month 2019) [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arc Reactor, Emotions Are Overrated, M/M, The Avengers (2012) Compliant, mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-01 19:39:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19184308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isleofbirb/pseuds/isleofbirb, https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: AU! Tony's arc reactor displays his emotions (idea by chlort)The first time Tony and Steve met, sparks flew. And not exactly in a good way.





	Flying Colors

**Author's Note:**

> I normally prefer Winteriron, but for this AU, I had to do Stony. Also, yay! Real quotes time!

That damn arc reactor! Tony knew that if it weren't for the hunk of metal stuck in his chest, his life would have been so much easier. You see, while the arc reactor was quite good at keeping the shrapnel from puncturing his heart, it also displayed the things he hated most about himself. His true emotions. Needless to say, the first time it went from its usual blue to a deep red, he got pretty freaked out. 

It took him a while, but eventually he made himself a mental key for the colors. He figured out that dark red=anger, blue=sadness, yellow=happiness, you know, the usual color associations. He had seen flirtatious (pink), inspired (green), and even panic (purple) had made the occasional appearance. He also knew that the reactor couldn't display complex emotions, like grief, but that it could pick out that grief was comprised of anger and sadness, and usually displayed the more prevalent option. So, all in all, not a perfect guide, but it worked well enough most days. Of course, it was Steve "Captain America" Rogers who had to fuck it up.

.......................................................................................................................  
It all started in Germany. 

"Make your move, Reindeer Games," Tony threatened, holding up a repulsor. He watched as Loki slowly shifted out of his armor and surrendered. "Good move."

"Mister Stark," Captain America addressed, seemingly out of breath.

"Captain," He returned, curtly. He refused to turn to look at the man, the man his father had cared about more than his own flesh and blood. He remembered the cold nights in his childhood bedroom, hearing his drunk father go on and on about Captain America. He remembered when he built his first robot, and how his father told him how Captain America would be so disappointed in him. He almost resented the man on his left. But as much as he tried to avoid it, he saw the familiar face out of his peripheral and watched as the area in front of him changed from light green (energized) to rainbow. _Wait, what the fuck?_ He started to panic as he thought as to what that could mean. "I..I've got to go,"

"Wait!" Captain America exclaimed, looking confused. But by the time any words were voiced, Iron Man was long gone. 

.......................................................................................................................  
The Captain had found him working in one of SHIELD's labs only a few hours later. 

"What was that all about, Iron Man?" The Captain had stepped forward, pushing into Tony's boundaries. His chest was doused in a rainbow almost immediately. 

"Which part?" Tony joked, hoping to get the Captain off of his back.

"You know damn well which part I'm talking about," He had snarled. That got a scoff from Banner, looking over at them.

"This is ridiculous. I mean, what are we, a team? No, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a time bomb," Banner had said, and secretly , Tony agreed with him.

"You need to step away," Fury had cautioned to Banner. Something about Fury rubbed him the wrong way, which is why he unwisely decided to retaliate.

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?"

"You know damn well why. Back off!" The Captain had jabbed him in the chest.  
"  
"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me," Tony had teased, the rainbow in his chest growing in intensity.

"Yeah. Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," He had fired back quickly, frowning slightly when he saw Natasha shrug.

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you." He was then violently reminded of Howard, and the arc reactor turned a deep, dark red. 

"I think I would just cut the wire," He commented smugly, fighting to keep a scowl off his face.

"Always a way out. You know, You may not be a threat but you better stop pretending to be a hero." The light in Tony's chest was the deepest red he had ever seen, so unlike any red that he had seen before that he made a mental note to reach out to Crayola about coining a new color name.

"A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle," With that he turned on his heel and strutted to Banner's side. 

.......................................................................................................................

He hadn't talked to Rogers since the battle of New York. At first, the mere thought of the Captain could send him off into an anxiety attack ( _Me?_ He remembered asking JARVIS after running out of the restaurant). But soon, and with the help of an amazing therapist, he had been able to shift his thoughts of the Captain away from New York, and onto thinking of him more like a friend. Granted, a friend he hadn't talked to almost a year.

On the not-so-bright side, he had figured out what rainbow meant. It took over six months for him to accept, and was part of the reason he hadn't talked to Rogers in so long. Both him and his therapist came to the conclusion that a rainbow arc reactor meant he had a crush. _That damn arc reactor_


End file.
